From left: John Todd; Kristin Todd; Bright by Three CEO Jean McSpadden; Shepard Nevel and Maureen McDonald. (Photos provided by Bright by Three)

In 1995, when Bright Beginnings was established by then-Gov. Roy Romer and the now-deceased Brad Butler, it was with the goal of making Colorado the best state in which to raise a child.

Almost 20 years later, the mission remains the same but the nonprofit organization has been given a new name: Bright by Three.

At Goodnight Moon, the organization’s signature fundraiser, chief executive officer Jean McSpadden joined founding members Nancy Butler Accetta and Doug Price in unfurling a banner bearing the new name and logo.

Accetta is the daughter of Brad Butler, who had moved to Colorado after retiring as chairman of Procter & Gamble; Price is chief executive officer for Rocky Mountain PBS.

“Our name and logo have changed,” McSpadden noted, “but out commitment to giving every Colorado child a bright beginning is stronger than ever.”

Former Gov. Roy Romer

McSpadden also announced that the BrightByText system had just been launched. BrightByText is a text-messaging platform developed by Bright by Three to augment its parenting program with weekly educational messages that link to more information, modeling videos and local resources. Parents and caregivers of children up to age 3 can access it by texting BRIGHT to 444999.

The Goodnight Moon Gala, held at Denver Museum of Nature and Science, also was the occasion to honor Colorado’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission and co-chairs Barbara Grogan, Anna Jo Haynes and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia.

George Sparks, Anna Jo Haynes and Barbara Grogan.

Museum CEO George Sparks, a member emeritus of the Bright by Three board, was master of ceremonies. Sarah Watamura, a University of Denver researcher and expert on the effects of toxic stress in children, was the speaker.

Roy Romer’s wife, Bea, was at the gala, too, and the 300 community leaders, physicians, dignitaries and other passionate about early childhood development who attended joined in wishing her a happy 85th birthday.

Other guests included Art and Elaine Kelton of Vail (she is a Bright by Three board member); Colorado Rockies co-owner Dick Monfort; Carleigh Elkus, president of the Junior League of Denver; Shepard Nevel, president/CEO of Live Well Colorado, and his wife, Anna Alejo;Kristin Todd, senior vice president at the Daniels Fund; Maureen McDonald, senior director of community benefit and relations for Kaiser Health Plan Colorado; Paul Mesard of Welton Street Investments; Drs. Elizabeth Kincannon and Sandra Stenmark, both members of the Bright by Three board; Eric Anderson, co-founder and CEO of SE2; Jim Carpenter of Stratton-Carpenter & Associates; attorney Chalyse Robinson, a partner at Hogan Lovells US; and Beverly Maxwell, president of Advantage Learning Center.

Terrance Carroll, speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, is one of the Plain & Fancy People of the Year

Terrance Carroll, speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, is one of five community leaders to be honored as Plain & Fancy People of the Year by Metropolitan State College of Denver. He will accept the award Sept. 25 during the Plain & Fancy Ball held at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Joining him as co-honorees are Pat Cortez, senior vice president at Wells Fargo Bank; Leo Kiely, chief executive officer at MillerCoors, an emeritus member of Metro’s governing board and past chair of the Metro State Foundation; Adele Phelan, president emeritus of the Clayton Foundation and chair of the Metro State board of trustees; and Ray Sutton, Jr., managing partner at Baker Hostetler. Sutton also is a Metro State trustee and past chair of the foundation.
In addition to recognizing the Plain & Fancy People of Year, the evening will include a tribute to the Plain & Fancy Ball’s founder, the late Harry Gianneschi, founder and vice president of Metro’s office of institutional advancement. He served there from 1984 to 1991 and succumbed to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in October, 2009.
“The Plain & Fancy Ball has become a Metro State tradition, and we are thrilled to recognize our honorees,” says president Stephen M. Jordan. “We feel we have struck the right chord with this event, as there isn’t a more memorable and fun black-tie affair that raises critical funds for higher education.”
Formerly an annual event, the Plain & Fancy Ball is now celebrated every five years to commemorate milestones in the college’s history while recognizing key supporters and contributors. This year’s event will celebrate Metro State’s 45th anniversary.
Since its start in 1988, the Plain & Fancy Ball has honored numerous local notables from sports and entertainment to education and politics, including Mayor John Hickenlooper, former Gov. Roy Romer, former Denver Broncos head coach Dan Reeves and Denver’s former first lady, Wilma Webb. The honorees are selected by a committee made up of Metro board members, volunteers and alumni.
The event has netted nearly $300,000 for scholarships and academic programs. Its zaniness stems from the unique dress code, which includes everything from plain jeans and cowboy boots to fancy formals and stilettos. Everyone, though, is required to wear the bow tie provided at the door.
The ties feature a commemorative design unique to that year’s event. This year internationally acclaimed artist Malcolm Farley, a Metro State alumnus, has been asked to design the signature bow ties. His “Commitment to philanthropy, combined with his unique ability to capture the moment with his art, makes him a perfect choice for this task,” Jordan says.
For additional information, call 303-556-8320 or visit www.mscd.edu/plainandfancy/.

Harry T. Lewis Jr. grew up in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood, earned an MBA from Dartmouth, served as a leader in the investment world and spearheaded numerous projects that addressed Denver’s growth, planning and future development.
On Nov. 1, Colorado Bright Beginnings honored him for these contributions and more at a dinner held in the Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom.
“Harry truly understands the value of early childhood development and the
importance of providing parents with support and encouragement to shape
their children’s lives,” observes Kyle Seedorf, vice chair of the Bright Beginnings board. “We are honored that he is helping us get the message out about the power parents have to influence their children’s
future.”
Founded by then-Gov. Roy Romer and the late Brad Butler, a retired chief executive for Procter & Gamble, the nonprofit organization provides Colorado parents with guidance, knowledge and tools to create a bright beginning for their children during the critical first three years of life.
Lewis began his professional life as a certified public accountant with what was then known as Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. Later, he became a
general partner and executive committee member at Boettcher & Co., and a senior vice president/Rocky Mountain Region for Dain Bosworth, Inc.
before starting his own firm, Lewis Investments.
Lewis, who is widowed, has had numerous leadership positions with such groups as the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; Downtown Denver, Inc.; the Regional Transportation District; Denver Museum of Nature and Science; and and the Stapleton Redevelopment Foundation.
Lewis also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was the dinner’s theme, and guests included George and Karyn Sparks (he chairs the Bright Beginnings board and is the chief executive at Denver Museum of Nature and Science); the 2006 honoree, Dr. Dean Prina; Brad Butler’s widow, Erna Butler, an honorary board member; and her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Tony Accetta. Nancy serves as secretary of the Bright Beginnings board.
Also in the crowd of 400: Caz Matthews, director of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s WellPoint Foundation; former board chair Dr. Steve Berman and his wife, Elaine, a member of the State Board of Education; Terry Biddinger, director of external relations for the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center School of Nursing; Dan Ritchie, chancellor emeritus of the University of Denver and current leader of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Delta Dental of Colorado President Kate Paul; and Barry and Arlene Hirschfeld.
And, state Sen. Chris Romer; the superintendent of the Denver Public Schools, Michael Bennet; Denver City Council members Carol Boigon and Doug Linkhart; Megan Ferland, executive director of the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Elsa Holguin of the Rose Community Foundation; United Way chief Michael Durkin; George Beardsley; Gail Klapper; Trygve and Vicki Myhren; Anna Alejo of the Western Union Foundation; Schenkein co-owner Leanna Clark; 7News anchor Bertha Lynn; Colorado Symphony chairman Cy Harvey and his wife, Lyndia; Wells Fargo Bank senior vice president Pat Cortez; interior designer David Alexander; and Colorado & Co. co-host Mark McIntosh, the evening’s emcee.
Sponsors included Erna Butler, Wells Fargo, Denver Investment
Advisors, CH2MHill, the Piton Foundation, Martha Records and Rich
Rainaldi, Key Bank and the WellPoint Foundation
Bright Beginnings’ programs are free and are provided by 14
regional affiliates that reach all of Colorado’s 64 counties. In
2006, more than 12,000 families benefited from the organization’s work.
For more information about Colorado Bright Beginnings, call 303-433-6200
or visit brightbeginningsco.org.

Pictures taken at the Bright Beginnings gala can be viewed at denverpost.com/SeenGallery.

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. Her column appears every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

At an afternoon reception held at Denver’s Central Library, Denver chapter of the National Council of Negro Women introduced its 2007 Living Portraits of African-American Women, a group honored for exceptional achievement in a variety of fields.
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